NGC 2477 (also known as Caldwell 71 or the Termite Hole Cluster[3]) is an open cluster in the constellation Puppis. It contains about 300 stars,[4] and was discovered by Abbé Lacaille in 1751.[4][5] The cluster's age has been estimated at 700 million years.[4]
Visual appearance
NGC 2477 is a stunning cluster, almost as extensive in the sky as the full moon. It has been called "one of the top open clusters in the sky",[1] like a highly resolved globular cluster without the dense center characteristic of globular clusters. Burnham notes that several observers have remarked on its richness, and that although it is smaller than M46 (also an open cluster in Puppis), it is richer and more compact.[2]
Distance
Burnham cites several published distances, ranging from 700 parsecs (2,300 ly) to 1,900 parsecs (6,200 ly), where "ly" is the abbreviation for light year.[2]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "NGC/IC Project Public Database". Results for NGC 2477. Archived from the original on 2012-05-20. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ a b c d Robert Burnham, Jr. (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Vol. III. New York: Dover. p. 1516. ISBN 978-0-486-24065-7.
- ^ Stoyan, Ronald; Schurig, Stephan (2014). interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas. Erlangen: Cambridge University Press; Oculum-Verlag GmbH. ISBN 978-1-107-50338-0. OCLC 920437579.
- ^ a b c "NGC 2477". SEDS Messier Objects Database. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ Jones, K. G. (March 1969). "The search for the nebulae - VI". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 79: 213–222. Bibcode:1969JBAA...79..213J.
External links
- NGC 2477 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
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